WASHINGTON – Today the members of the Republican National Committee (RNC) elected Ronna McDaniel Chairwoman and Bob Paduchik Co-Chair. McDaniel is the second woman ever elected Chair of the RNC. Outgoing Chairman Reince Priebus gave his final remarks to the RNC, capping the most successful run as Chairman in RNC history.

The votes electing McDaniel and Paduchik to their respective positions were both unanimous.

About Ronna McDaniel

This November, Ronna McDaniel helped deliver Michigan for Donald Trump and the GOP for the first time in decades. She was elected as the State Chairman from Michigan in February of 2015. Ronna served as a Trump delegate and chaired the Michigan Delegation to the 2016 Republican National Convention. She has served as a Precinct Delegate, as a District Committee Executive Member and State Committeewoman in Michigan and served as National Delegate to the Tampa Convention representing Michigan’s 11th District. In 2013, she served as Co-Chair for the Mackinac Leadership Conference and was appointed by Governor Rick Snyder to serve on the Board of Marriage and Family Therapists. In her local community of Northville, Ronna has served on land planning and public safety committees and is actively involved in her local PTA. She received her B.A. in English from Brigham Young University. Ronna is married to Patrick McDaniel and has two children, Abigail and Nash.

About Bob Paduchik

Bob Paduchik most recently served as the Ohio State Director for the Trump-Pence presidential campaign. He was the Campaign Manager for Ohio Senator Rob Portman’s successful campaign for U.S. Senate in 2010, and was the Ohio State Director for the Bush-Cheney presidential campaign in both 2000 and 2004, helping President Bush carry the state both times. From 2011 through 2015, Bob worked in a variety of roles at the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, a trade association representing the coal-fueled electricity industry. From October 2001 to January 2003, Bob served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs at the U.S. Department of Energy.

"It’s hard to believe this is the last time I will have the privilege of addressing you all as the Chairman of the Republican National Committee.

"But it is no less of an honor to do so today than the first time I stood at the podium as your Chairman.

"Leading our party has been an incredible journey for me.

"I remember waking up the morning after being elected Chairman and thinking “this is big.”

"I had no idea at the time just how big it would get.

"If you look at where we are as a party today, I’m still astonished about what we have been able to accomplish over the last six years.

"We’ve been able to raise over a billion dollars to get the RNC out of debt and firmly in the black.

"Today I’m handing off the RNC with as much money in the black as I started in the red six years ago, and we have twice as much cash on hand as the DNC does.

"I remember when I was first Chairman, I used to maximize any amount of free food before I broke down and expensed a meal. We used to be proud of what we called 'living off the land' and texting each other pictures of freebies we could score at airport lounges or events.

"We’ve come a long way since then.

"In 2014, we trounced the Democrats in the midterm elections, and turned the Senate red for the first time in years.

"We’ve built new relationships in communities we had not been to in a long time.

"And we built the best field, data, and digital program in RNC history that was one of the most important assets in putting Donald Trump in the White House.

"We had over 7,600 paid staff and trained volunteers doing voter contact in 13 battleground states, thousands more than we’ve ever had. Those numbers translated into 24 million doors knocked; 26 million calls made, and 50.9 million targeted get out the vote emails sent. All told, we made over 2.5 billion voter contacts during this election cycle.

"Our Republican Leadership Initiative was a pipeline for a new generation of field organizing talent who have built relationships with voters right in their home communities.

"One of the main reasons we had multiple victories in battleground states is because the RNC was in these states and communities for years and we built a ground game that was much larger than that of any previous Republican presidential campaign.

"As a result, President-elect Trump won over 2,600 counties nationwide, the most since President Reagan in 1984. Additionally, he won over 62 million votes in the popular vote, the highest of all-time for a Republican nominee. Voters in all corners of the country wanted Donald Trump as their president, and that enthusiasm spread down the ballot as well.

"For the first time since 2007, and only the second time since 1929, Republicans have control of the House, Senate, and the White House.

"We also have unprecedented vitality as a party at the state level. Voters have grown tired of Washington Democrats and the Obama Administration growing government and constitutional overreach, and so voters have increasingly turned to the Party that truly represents grassroots solutions for the issues we face.

"Just listen to these stats. Since the 2008 elections,

"Republicans now hold 33 of 50 governorships.

"We’ve grown to hold 69 of 99 legislative chamber majorities – an all-time high for the Party – up from 38 in 2009.

"In short, we’ve got record levels of red all over the country, a mandate from the American people to lead, and the wind at our back to offer a new course for our country.

"I’m not bragging about it just to brag. I say this because the RNC’s infrastructure was one of the most important cogs in the machine of victory this year.

"And the RNC has never been in a greater position of organizational strength.

"So I step away from this job fully satisfied in what we have accomplished, and excited for the future that lies before us.

"I am proud of what we’ve done. But I am even prouder to have worked with so many great people.

"From way back when I was first Wisconsin state party chairman until now, I’ve spent years getting to know the members of this Committee, all of whom have shown the highest dedication to the success of our Republican Party.

"I know we have disagreements at times and sometimes it takes a bit to get on the same page. But this election cycle proved we are a Party that unifies and gets the job done when the moment demands it.

"We were able to do it because we all love this country. And if I can give one piece of wisdom today, it is this: never lose sight of why we serve on this committee.

"We believe what we believe and we do what we do because we love America. As President Ronald Reagan said, 'Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.'

"I’ve also been privileged to work with RNC staffers who come to work every day because they believe the same thing.

"Many of them are just starting out in their careers and have many decades ahead of them in politics and in life.

"It’s a joy to see the fire in their eyes, just as I had when I was a college kid driving around listening to GOPAC tapes of Newt Gingrich speeches in my car. Yes, I really did that.

"Working with our staff has been an honor, and not just because of what we’ve accomplished together, or how they’ve helped me.

"It’s been a joy to see their incredible dedication. And I know our Republican Party will be in good hands for years to come.

"There are too many people at the RNC to mention who make our organization what it is.

"All of them have played an essential role in any success I have had as your Chairman, and any success we’ve had as a party.

"But specifically, I want to thank Jeff Larson, Mike Shields, and Katie Walsh. None of these successes would be remotely possible if they were not so highly dedicated to these endeavors.

"From the bottom of my heart, I say thank you to the staff of the RNC. I will miss all of you.

"Lastly, I want to thank my wife Sally and my kids Jack and Grace. They’ve been so gracious with me in understanding the demands of this job. I want them to know they will always come first in my heart and in my life. No excitement from politics can come close to the happiness I get from being with my family. Thank you, and I love you.

"I am leaving an organization that has become almost a second home to me. But I’m not at all concerned about what will become of it.

"Because the RNC is in the best possible hands with our new Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and our new Co-Chair Bob Paduchik.

"Ronna and Bob have been loyal Republicans for years and distinguished themselves with an incredible effort this cycle. They went all out to make sure President-elect Donald Trump won their respective battleground states.

"As the Chairwoman of the Michigan GOP, Ronna led the demolition team that took down that defunct Democrat blue wall. As President-elect Trump said last month, she barely slept this cycle because she was so focused on winning. Even when Democrats and pundits were saying it would never happen.

"It is that level of passion, along with her commitment to building out the ground, data, and digital operation the RNC has been working on for years, that gives me total confidence she is the right woman to lead the RNC.

"She’s going to be a great leader.

"Our Co-Chair’s office is also in great hands. Sharon Day has been everything we could ask for in a Co-Chair. She has logged hundreds of thousands of miles on behalf of the RNC, and no one has a better, more positive attitude than her. I want to say thank you to Sharon for all the great things she’s done for the Committee, for me, and for our country.

"And Bob Paduchik is going to be an outstanding Co-Chair in his own right. As President-elect Trump’s Ohio State Director, he masterminded the strategy for winning one of the most important states in any presidential election.

"He’s proven over and over his keen sense of what it takes to win races, and I can’t wait to see how he utilizes the RNC’s infrastructure to keep winning races wherever Republicans are running.

"Both Ronna and Bob are going to make their own mark on the RNC.

"And I know that you all will partner with them and show them same level of support that you’ve shown me and Sharon.

"Now as to what comes next.

"I’m honored to be serving our next President as his White House Chief of Staff.

"He’s got an America First agenda and an attitude of refusing to quit. I’ve seen firsthand his love for this nation and how he will stop at nothing to make sure we are thriving in every way.

"I am so proud to be elected as the next Chairwoman of the Republican National Committee.

"Thank you for investing your trust in me to lead this committee in an exciting new era.

"Thank you to my husband Patrick, our kids Abigail and Nash, and my parents and family members who are here today.

"Reince and Sharon thank you, for all you’ve done. You have left behind a road map for winning elections. You rebuilt our party, you set a vision for the future, and you made our victory possible. We would not be here today without your leadership.

"President-Elect Trump, thank you. I’m honored that you put your trust in me. I am so excited to see you sworn in tomorrow as the 45th President of the United States.

"Members of the Committee thank you for your support of our candidates up and down the ballot. Thank you for the hard work you do on behalf of our Party. And thank you for your support in me.

"I am a mom from Michigan.

"I am an outsider.

"And I am here to make Donald Trump and Republicans everywhere successful.

"I humbled to be the second woman in history elected to lead the Republican National Committee. For far too long, Democrats have hailed themselves as the party of women. As Republicans, we know their so-called monopoly on being the party of women is false, and it is a mindset I intend to change.

"Women are not a special interest group. We care about all issues. As Republicans, we believe that

"You know better than the government how to spend your money.

"You know better which school is best for your child

"You know better which doctor and health care plan is best for your family.

"We believe in opportunity- for women, for men, for everyone.

"The Republican Party recognizes that the future of our great nation relies on providing every individual, regardless of gender, race, or circumstance, the opportunity to succeed.

"We must be the party that puts people above politics.

"I am committed to working for a unified and inclusive Republican Party, and that starts right here with this Committee.

"Remember: 'The Republican Party is the party of the open door. Ours is the party of liberty, the party of equality, of opportunity for all, and favoritism for none.'

"And we’re going to continue to build out the tools for winning elections that our departing Chairman so wisely invested in over the past six years. As President-Elect Trump has directed us to do, we are going to keep winning.

"And we are going to do it together. As Chairwoman, my door will always be open, my phone will never be on silent.

"Our Party is at a record level of strength – and we’re going to keep it that way.

"We control all three branches of government here in Washington.

"We control 33 Governorships - the highest level since 1992

"And we control both legislative chambers in 32 states.

"We are going to keep winning elections and fighting for American families who deserve a change from the status quo.

"America has two parties:

"Theirs, the elite, coastal, redistributionist Party of the status quo.

"And ours the national, opportunity for everyone, party of change.

"Whether you have been left behind by the stagnant economy, the failed promises of Obamacare, or the general belief that the government treats its citizens as an afterthought, we hear you.

"To the factory worker in Erie, Pennsylvania. We hear you.

"To the woman at the salon in Ypsilanti, Michigan. We hear you.

"To the single mother in Tampa, Florida. We hear you.

"President-Elect Trump’s movement gave the forgotten and the ignored a voice - and the power to bring change to Washington.

"As chairwoman it will be my priority to amplify those voices who spoke loud and clear last November.